Doyle Universal Power Sail

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Doyle Universal Power Sail

Postby ChrisB » Fri Feb 11, 2011 8:34 am

After reading Jdoorly's post about his Doyle Universal Power Sail, I decided I wanted one. Most of my sailing is done in less than 10k wind and I wanted a little extra boost. I have had the UPS up twice and what a difference! Doyle claims the sail can be used in apparent wind angles from 40 to 180 degrees and this seems correct so far. I was flying the UPS last weekend in about 5k of wind on a beam reach and I was hauling the mail!
Chris B.
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Postby Alan » Fri Feb 11, 2011 11:33 am

OK, one more thing for my wish list. :)

I hadn't realized the UPS was available in a small-boat size until jdoorly posted his photos. Do I remember correctly that is costs about $330?
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Doyle Universal Power Sail

Postby ChrisB » Fri Feb 11, 2011 1:37 pm

You are correct; $330. The sail can be configured either for use on a roller furling system or to be hoisted like a jib (without hanks). I wanted to use mine in lieu of the jib without roller furling. The sail is somewhere between 160% and 170% and made of 3/4 oz nylon like a chute so its ideal for light air. Can't wait to play with it more.
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Postby jdoorly » Sat Feb 12, 2011 12:48 am

I remember the first time I saw a 'drifter' some 40 years ago. Crewing on a new boat the wind dropped and the fleet was struggling to get around a mark against an increasingly foul current. The boat ahead of us missed the mark and our skip called for the drifter. It only took a moment to raise, not having hanks, and the light cloth filled right away. But most importantly we started making progress and passing boats. Man, I was impressed with that dinky little sail with the high clew as we blasted by other boats using 160/170 genoas. Of course that was BR (before radial).

So Chris, what color(s) is your UPS?
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Postby K.C. Walker » Sat Feb 12, 2011 1:02 am

Well, this seems like some reasonably priced fun. How do you have it rigged? Are you using the spinnaker halyard? How are you attaching the tack? Are you flying it outside of the jib stay? How far back are you sheeting? How many square feet is that sail? Did Doyle help you with set up?

Whoa, sorry for all the questions but this is interesting.

Thanks, KC
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Postby algonquin » Sat Feb 12, 2011 2:38 am

K.C. Walker wrote:How do you have it rigged? Are you using the spinnaker halyard? How are you attaching the tack? Are you flying it outside of the jib stay? How far back are you sheeting? How many square feet is that sail? Did Doyle help you with set up?
Thanks, KC


:lol: :lol:

And just one more question to go along with K.C.'s

Is there a recommended wind speed range for this sail ? Brad
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Postby GreenLake » Sat Feb 12, 2011 4:51 am

Appears that the actual name for this is Utility Power Sail. With that name, you can google and get a bit more information.

Looks like an intriguing sail. If you set it without a furler, I'd imagine it works like an asymmetric spinnaker without the bowsprit, that is, the tack at the stemhead fitting forward of the stay and using the spinnaker halyard. Can anyone confirm?

Also, where do you sheet it to? The standard jib fairleads would seem likely to be too far forward with that much overlap.
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Doyle UPS

Postby ChrisB » Sat Feb 12, 2011 9:35 am

My bad.....it is called a Utility Power Sail. Anyway, on to the questions. My rigging for the sail is very much in a state of flux; nothing is permanent until I figure out what works best. Right now, I am hoisting the sail using the jib halyard as the luff of the UPS is the same dimension as the DS jib. Eventually I will probably add another halyard. I have no plans for roller furling; no real reason, just not a fan of RF. The tack of the sail is attached to the stemhead fitting as with the jib. For the sheets, I have two blocks on a short piece of line attached to the stern cleats. This allows me to reposition the blocks while I determine the best location for them. The best spot looks to be on the cockpit coaming, about 12 - 18" behind the mid-boom mainsheet (DS II). That positions the pull of the sheet essentially perpendicular to the luff of the sail. Once the sheet blocks are permanently mounted, I plan to add a turning block on the coaming and camcleat on the windward side where I can trim it while sailing solo. Doyle did not provide a recommended wind range but my best guess would be up to about 10 or 12k on a close or beam reach, maybe up to about 15-18k on broad reach or run. Sail is 71 sq ft of 3/4 oz nylon. I have the original literature from Doyle in pdf. If anyone wants a copy, send me a PM with your email address and I will forward it to you.
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Postby K.C. Walker » Tue Jun 07, 2011 9:06 pm

Hey Chris,

I thought I would check in on this thread to see if you're still enjoying the sail. Are you using it much? Do you have any thoughts on how it's performing?
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Postby Alan » Tue Jun 07, 2011 9:52 pm

I'd be interested too.
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UPS

Postby ChrisB » Wed Jun 08, 2011 8:39 am

I have only flown the sail a few times. My job situation changed over the winter and I had to relocate again (now I remember why I sail a trailerable boat!). The times I have had the sail up have all been light air days; 6 -12 mph and the difference in boat speed was significant. It went from dull to fun instantly. In light air, I was able to point somewhere between close hauled and a beam reach. So far, I'm happy with the sail. I mostly sail solo so a spinnaker was not an option and the UPS gives spinnaker like performance that can be managed with one pair of hands.
- Chris
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Postby GreenLake » Wed Jun 08, 2011 11:42 am

I continue to think that type of sail is interesting, but feel like taking a bit of an exception with the statement that a spinnaker is not an option if you're single handed. Just back from our local beer-can race where we had light to moderate winds (2-6 would be my guess).

I had no problems single-handing the spinnaker in these conditions, including gybing it around the mark. Actually, that was the very first time I attempted that maneuver, and I was surprised that it came off without disaster.

(When I singlehand I rig a bungee across the boat, and wrap another bungee around it and the tiller. That will fix the tiller in moderate conditions, but slide out of the way during a tack. That way, I don't need another hand to control that setup.)

I'm relatively new to spinnakers. Never had one, until someone gave me his old one last season. I still think they are ridiculously complicated, and if it didn't have to compete against "free", I would be ever so much more tempted to go with something like the UPS.

Since our informal races here don't pay attention to any class rules, I could in principle use a UPS for them, but that raises some questions. Used that way, I would expect that the jib would be needed for the upwind leg, and would have to be lowered to set the UPS for downwind / reaching. Correct?

What's your experience with it downwind?
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Postby ChrisB » Wed Jun 08, 2011 12:23 pm

I would agree that a chute could be managed solo in 2 -6 mph winds, but if the wind speed got much higher than that, you're gonna get real busy trying to manage it without crew particularly when it comes time to retrieve it. I fully understand the "free" vs. 300 bucks though.

I use my UPS primarily as a reacher and use the jib for upwind sailing. Right now, I hoist the UPS on the jib halyard but I plan to add a second halyard eventually. For downwind runs, it fills nicely due to light weight nylon cloth. A whisker pole would be beneficial for wing and wing. In all honesty though, I despise sailing on a run (too hot, too slow) and prefer to "tack" downwind on a series of broad reaches. The UPS performs well used this way. Pull the board up and enjoy the ride!
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Postby K.C. Walker » Fri Jul 15, 2011 10:39 am

Hey Chris,

As the season progresses and there are many beautiful days with a light breeze I continue to think about this sail option. Have you had much opportunity to use it lately?

I'm curious about how you're handling it. That is, how are you launching and retrieving it. Are you keeping your jib hanked on for up wind sailing but pulled down to the deck? If you're single handing, I assume you need to go on the foredeck to change sails. How is that working out?

Thanks, KC
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Postby ChrisB » Mon Jul 18, 2011 9:06 am

Originally, I purchased the sail with the intention of using it instead of the jib in light air. Doyle's literature claimed you can close reach with the sail in light air and I have found that to be true. As the wind speed increases beyond 10 or 12, the UPS wants to collapse upwind so I have to either bear off to a beam reach or switch to the jib.

The luff dimension is 15', same as the DS jib so right now I am sharing the jib halyard with the UPS. I do have to go forward to remove the halyard from the jib. At some point I will add a dedicated halyard so I can swap sails easier. The UPS sailbag came with a brass clip on the bottom of the bag. I tie a short loop of line around the base of the mast and clip the UPS bag to the line. I have a block fixed to the stemhead with a length of line that runs from the tack of the UPS, forward to the block, then back to the top of the cuddy. To launch the UPS, I pull the tack of the sail forward to the block, then pull the halyard. Then I trim the sheet. The sail launches right out of the bag. To retrieve, I blanket the UPS with the main, gather the sail and stuff it in in the bag leaving the head, tack, and clew of the sail at the top of the bag.
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